TRADE PACT SIEGE: Jody Chiang takes ‘side of Taiwan’ in protest

By Hu Ju-hung and Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter, with staff writer

Sat, Apr 05, 2014 - Page 3

Hoklo pop diva Jody Chiang (江蕙) has made a bold move by taking “the side of Taiwan” in the controversy surrounding the cross-strait service trade agreement.

Dubbed “the people’s diva,” Chiang said she was so concerned about the latest protest developments that she has been literally glued to her television, particularly after the riot police’s forced eviction of students who broke into the Executive Yuan on March 23.

“My heart ached for students who were injured during the eviction, but at the same time, I also felt sorry for the police who had to work so hard,” she said.

Chiang said that she supported both the students and the police, because not every police officer had resorted to violence against unarmed protesters.

“The only thing I am against is violence,” she added.

Chiang has staged only two concerts in China in three decades of singing in 2011 and last year.

She said after last year’s concert that “the farthest she will ever travel to stage a concert is Greater Kaohsiung,” insinuating that she will not perform on Chinese soil again.

While Chiang’s supportive comments about the riot police have been criticized, she said: “I love Taiwan more than any other Taiwanese singer. Taiwan is the side I take.”